One of my favorite photogra-bloggers had a post about "before & after photography", or the editing that goes into photography. Trust me that anyone can be a great photographer- seriously! Sure, nice equipment and lights come in handy, but they're not necessary. All you need is some great software (like photoshop, or even the free, online stuff is great too!) and you're well on your way. Take this picture for example:
I have gotten a lot of compliments on it, and in fact I think it's one of my current favorites. But the raw image was NOTHING like this one! The thing in the picture that drew me in was her eyes- that sweet look she was giving the camera. But there were several things about the original that I didn't like as well. Take a peek for yourself:
First off, the spot to the right of the pic draws obvious attention away (no, it's not pee! it's a carpet stain!) Also, she was holding a bright green drumstick, her cheek was red, and there are toys in the background. Of course I want the attention to be on my wonderful kiddo! So after turning the pic black and white, leaving her eyes big and blue (yes, they're her original color- no tweaks there!) I felt like I was getting somewhere. In photoshop I added a layer (a b/w heart "bokeh" if you're into knowing that kind of thing) and then just erased around what I wanted you to focus on in the picture.
Voila! There you go from mediocre snapshot to "wow- great picture!" in a matter of seconds!
Anyone have any favorite snapshots at home they'd like me to tweak for them?
Wow, you did a great job! The edited photo is so striking, her eyes are amazing!
ReplyDeleteOh, I have a great one for you! An AWESOME picture of Kendra and my Great-grandma...but my rump is in the background...
ReplyDeleteLove your baby's eyes - your edit completely draws my attention to her striking eyes! Great job!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah--I'll be sending you a ton of photos! The mister uses photoshop here and there but I don't think he's been doing the kinds of things you did here--it really is amazing and a beautiful photo!
ReplyDeleteThat gives me a lot more confidence in my picture taking skills. I just need to keep things from being blurry.
ReplyDeleteGreat edit and I love the eyes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference. The first one really just draws you right into her beautiful eyes.
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired once again...I need to get photoshop now. (-;
Love this shot. The heart bokeh is so great! But the EYES ROCK!!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I love how you took out the distracting objects in the picture, so your attention is drawn to her eyes! Simply breathtaking. Thank you for joining in on the fun!
ReplyDeleteMonica
Awesome! That cracked paint texture on the pic of the girls, I got it from Flickr but can't remeber where. I can email it to you though. Send me your email address through facebook.
ReplyDelete